Air Force Academy
MW Championships
Air Force Heads to MW Outdoor Championships
5/7/2019 2:22:00 PM | Track and Field
The four-day meet, which begins on May 8, will be held at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, Calif.
Championship season begins for the Air Force track and field team this week, as it travels to Clovis, Calif., for the 2019 Mountain West Outdoor Championships. The four-day event gets underway on Wednesday, May 8.
MEET INFORMATION
The 2019 MW Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School in Clovis. The championships begin on May 8, with the opening events of the decathlon and heptathlon. A complete schedule of events can be found on Page 2 of this release. All-session tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children, while individual passes for Friday and Saturday are $10 for adults and $5 for children (all Thursday tickets at $5 and there is no admission cost for Wednesday). For fans unable to attend the meet, real-time results will be available via RTSPT.com and FloTrack will be broadcasting the meet through its subscription service (direct links are available on the Falcons' schedule page at GoAirForceFalcons.com). In addition, updates and highlights will be posted to Air Force's social media sites (@af_trackfield on Twitter and Instagram) throughout the week.
WHO'S WHO
The Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships will feature 11 women's teams (Air Force, #20 Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, #9 New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming) and the men's program's from Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming.
A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON
The men have captured five of the last seven team titles at the outdoor championships (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018). Individually, the Falcons have been at the top of the MW Outdoor medal podium 82 times, highlighted by a program-best eight conference titles at the 2015 meet. Jamiel Trimble is the Falcons' most decorated MW Outdoor champion, having won five individual titles and ran on three winning 4x100-meter relay teams. Highlighted by a program-best 27 top-three finishes in 2017, the Falcons have accounted for 274 all-conference accolades. Air Force currently holds five of the conference's Championship Meet Records, including the men's 200-meter dash (Trimble, 20.33 in 2017), 1500-meter run (Zach Perkins, 3:44.38 in 2013), 110-meter hurdles (Trimble, 13.66 in 2017), pole vault (Cale Simmons, 18'1¾" in 2012) and javelin throw (Dana Pounds, 195'8" in 2006).
AROUND THE CONFERENCE
Four individuals – Sedacy Walden (400-meter dash, 46.35), Michael Rhoads (800-meter run, 1:47.10), Micah Fontaine (110-meter hurdles, 14.01), Greg Skage (pole vault, 17'5½") – concluded the regular season with conference-leading times in their respective events. In addition, Air Force posted MW-best marks in the 4x100-meter (40.66, from Miguel Molas, Terrell Bradford, Walden, Reece Pontious) and 4x400-meter (3:10.69, with Walden, Zachary Dicken, Terrell Davis, Luke Zuluaga) relays.
A LOOK AT THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Highlighted by Michael Rhoads holding the eighth-fastest 800-meter time in the NCAA at 1:47.10, Air Force athletes are currently listed among the nation's top 40 in six events. Greg Skage is listed among the top 20 in the pole vault (18th, 17'5½") and Parker Spearman is ranked among the top 30 in the javelin (29th, 224'0"), while Jacob Bilvado is ranked 31st in the 5000-meter run (13:47.65). On the women's side, Kathryn Tomczak and Lindsey Blanks hold top-40 placements in the pole vault (33rd, 13'9¾") and 3000-meter steeplechase (35th, 10:14.77), respectively. In addition, five non-traditional relays are listed among the nation's top 20, including three mentioned among the top 10.
ALUMNI ALERT
Former Air Force standout Jim Walmsley broke the 50-mile World Record on May 4, as he clocked a time of 4:50:08 at the Hoka One One Project Carbon X in Folsom, Calif, to break the previous 36-year-old record by 14 seconds. Walmsley, who claimed four conference titles as a senior in 2012, averaged a 5:48-mile during his 50-mile Record, en route to a fourth-place finish on the full 100km course.
COMING UP
Air Force returns to action on May 23-25, when select members of the team return to California for the preliminary round of the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento. The list of accepted athletes will be released next week.
Players Mentioned
